T&T: Catamaran vs monohull

[Faure, Marin]

Like everything else in boating, power cats make sense in the
environment and conditions in which they make sense.  They are very
popular in Australia and New Zealand, for example.  There they are used
for fast ferries, personal cruisers, and everything in between.  Much of
the boating there is done in relatively open water and a cat does a good
job of "smoothing" that out in terms of the ride, particularly if you
want a relatively fast ride.  From my observation in Sydney, at least, a
lot of private boats stay on moorings, not in marinas, so slip width may
not be an over-riding issue.  Cats (power or sail) are easily driven so
in the case of a power cat you won't need as much horsepower as a
monohull to get the same speeds.

>From what I have seen comparing the relatively few power cats that have
showed up in our marina from time to time, the cat's advantages tend to
focus on the ride, the speed, the economy, and the width of the
main-deck living spaces.  However, it appears to me that monohulls have
the advantage when it comes to usable volume.  True, the main salon
won't be as roomy given equal boat lengths.  But the forward cabin, aft
cabin (in a tri-cabin trawler), engine room, and other spaces will be
larger or at least more user-friendly.

Moorage can be a problem if marinas are not set up for multi-hulls.  Our
2000-plus boat marina is not.  There are end ties but they are already
occupied by monohulls in the 50-80-foot range.  So the few cats (power
and sail) in the 30-40 foot range that have showed up have had to pay
for two slips.

Cats can pose some interesting problems for boatyards in terms of
hauling out, although most of the larger yards know how to handle them
and have the equipment to do so.

But a big part of the argument has nothing to do with the function of
the boat but has to do with the form---- a lot of boaters simply don't
regard cats as being very aesthetic.  Now, there are an awful lot of
monohulls around I do not consider aesthetic at all.  I'm not a fan of
the Euro-swoop design, so most of the current offerings from Sea Ray,
Meridian, etc. leave me cold.  I grew up in Hawaii, and from 1955 until
I left in 1979 the big beach cats that operate off the sands of Waikiki
were part of the scenery I saw almost every day.  I still remember when
Henry J. Kaiser built the largest sailing catamaran in the world (at the
time) to carry tourists from his new Hawaiian Village hotel (now the
Hilton Hawaiian Village.)  In the Hawaii tour-boat context, the cat
configuration was ideal.  But I never really regarded them as true
"boats."  (I reserved that designation for the lovely aku boats-- tuna
boats--- that we all called "sampans" that had been built in the islands
in the late 1940s and early 50s-- but that's another topic.)

So while I readily acknowledge all the plusses the power cat folks
preach, the bottom line is that I simply don't find them very
attractive.  I don't feel it's "resistance to change" or "lack of
forward thinking" or "fear of something new" that a lot of cat
proponents like to say is the reason for a person's anti-cat views.
Running a boat that has what I feel is an aesthetic design is part of
what I personally want out of the boating experience.  I will (and do)
put up with a less-than-ideal boat in terms of its interior layout if
its overall design meets my "what a boat should look like" requirements.
And that, I believe, is what the catamaran vs. monohull argument
generally comes down to.  We all come up with practical-sounding reasons
to support one view or the other, but in the end I think most of us form
our opinions on how the boats look to us.  Which is why, even though
cats will gain popularity in the environments where the design makes
sense, I don't believe the market for monohulls will be significantly
dented.  Besides, when it comes to fast boats, you don't get that
exhilarating "bank" when you lean into a turn if you're driving a cat
:-)

______________________________
C. Marin Faure
GB36-403 "La Perouse"
Bellingham, Washington